New Delhi, Apr 23 (PTI) Four life convicts on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court, claiming the Jharkhand High Court reserved orders on their appeals against conviction in 2022 but did not pronounce verdicts.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh agreed to examine their plea and sought a report in sealed cover from the registrar general of the high court on all the cases, in which a decision was reserved but judgement was not pronounced for over two months.

Advocate Fauzia Shakil, representing the four convicts, pressed for the bail of the convicts saying one of them was in jail for the last 16 years.

The bench issued notice on the bail plea and sought the response of the state government.

The plea said, “The petitioners are convicts currently lodged in Birsa Munda Central Jail, Hotwar, Ranchi. They had filed criminal appeals challenging their convictions before the High Court of Jharkhand in Ranchi, and while their appeals were heard and judgments were reserved in 2022, the High Court has not yet pronounced the judgments despite elapsing of 2 to 3 years.” The convicts, of which three were convicted for murder and one on rape charges, said they belonged to either the scheduled tribes or other backward classes communities, and were convicted and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for life in different cases.

“Each one of them has served an actual custody period ranging between 11 years to 16 years,” said the plea filed by Pila Pahan, Soma Badang, Satyanarayan Sahu and Dharmesh Oraon.

The convicts claimed their efforts to address the situation went unanswered despite representations to the Chief Justice of India and the Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court, and legal aid bodies like National Legal Services Authority.

“Apart from the four petitioners, 10 other convicts are in the same situation. Their appeals have been heard, but judgments have not been pronounced for approximately over three years,” the convicts said. PTI MNL MNL AMK AMK